Epic bolide illuminates skies over SW China

<p style="text-align: left;">A bolide explosion was photographed over southwest China’s Yunnan Province Friday night. The meteorite streaked across the sky before becoming a flash of light, followed by a loud clap minutes later.</p><p style="text-align: left;">“The bolide can be identified from its appearance and route,&quot; said Wang Xiaobin, an astronomer from the Yunnan Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: left;">A “bolide” is really just a fancy term for a bright fireball, referring to solitary, large meteors over 1 meter in diameter that burn up in the lower atmosphere as the very air causes incredible friction.</p><p style="text-align: left;">No injuries or structural damages have been reported so far.</p>